Before yesterday afternoon, I would have said that today was the day I was looking forward to the least. I had dreaded giving this interview for years. Knowing Acilia Mode, I would have been dressed in the exact same outfit as the other girls in my family. Knowing Caesar Flickerman, I would have been asked the exact same questions, and knowing the audience, I would have been expected to give the exact same answers.

When I brought this concern up to Luna during our coaching session, I was told that that was the way it was, followed by a lecture on how "unladylike" eye-rolling is. This somehow frustrated me more than the comments about my cynical attitude (as if I had anything to be cheery about), my standoffish body language (I am NOT standoffish), and my inability to smile properly (Bite me) but not as much as the constant, never-ending, nitpicking comparisons to Sunny. Despite all this, I was somehow one of the most improved tributes she's had to deal with.

Sylva was a little more helpful. After cheering me up with a glass of iced coffee and a story about how Sunny came in after her presentation session red-faced and ranting about Luna's teaching style, I brought up my concerns to her. We talked about what to do for a long time and even put on some music to get the creative juices flowing. Then, I heard classical music come on and inspiration struck.

Sylva loved my idea and she immediately got to work. Within an hour, a fiddle arrived on our floor, and I began practicing.

It just got easier from there. The next afternoon, Rycin, Sylva, and Bran met me in the living room and presented me with a box. Bran was grinning like an idiot, as if he already knew what was inside. When I opened the box, I gasped in awe. "I figured you'd prefer yours tonight," Rycin had said as I pulled my fiddle from the box. "I asked a peacekeeper friend of mine to bring it to the train station yesterday and ensure it got here."

I opened up the case, unable to help the grin that crossed my face. I ignored Luna's snide "Why couldn't you smile like that yesterday?" and pulled my fiddle free.

By the time it was time to leave for the City Circle, the dread had mostly subsided. Even if I do wind up in the expected ivory dress with gold trim, I'll at least stand out.

When I arrive, I am led into a dressing room and am met by Acilia, who is all smiles. "Hello, darling. Are you ready for your night under the lights?"

"Surprisingly, yes," I reply.

Acilia has me close my eyes while she gets me ready. She does my makeup and gets me into my dress. It feels different somehow. Sure enough, when I'm told to open my eyes and look in the mirror, I see someone unexpected looking back at me.

It's the same style of dress, but it's not ivory and gold. Instead, it is black. My makeup is done in dark colors and a skull necklace is draped around my neck. As a final touch, Acilia drapes a cape with a hood around my shoulders. "Your dear mentor told me about what you plan to do for your interview," Acilia explains. "I thought it was a wonderful idea. So wonderful that I made a last-minute ensemble to make you stand out even more. What do you think?"

I'm not just a queen anymore. I look like I could be death herself.

It's perfect.


We meet the rest of the team near the line where the tributes are. Sylva and Rycin both hug me tightly before I join Bran, Jenny, and Drake. "You're going to do wonderfully," Rycin says with a smile. "You got this."

"Good luck, honey," Sylva adds as she hands me my fiddle case.

"Thank you," I reply, smiling. "See you after."

I slip between Krystian and Bran in line. "You look terrifying," Bran says. He's wearing a simple suit and tie, both made from a soft-looking tan fabric.

"I agree," Jenny adds. "You look like the literal Grim Reaper. And is that a violin?"

"Yeah," I reply. "Let's just say I'm doing something a little different."

Drake shoots me a grin. "Can't wait to see it!"

The lights dim, Caesar Flickerman is introduced with a flare of music, and the interviews begin. Jacinth is first up. "I hear you're close friends with your district partner," Caesar opens.

"Of course," Jax replies. "We've been friends since we were very young. We were raised together, and now we're going into the Games together. Bronze and I are important to each other, but we are more than prepared to let each other go when the time comes. I honestly can't wait for our duel. We met in a fight. It seems fitting that that's where we say goodbye."

Bronze comes onto the stage with a cold and calculated gaze. When he is asked about his favorite weapon, the four of us lean forward with anticipation. "My mind," Bronze replies. We draw stares when we all groan. "We knew that already…" Drake mumbles.

"Your mind?" Caesar presses. "How interesting. Please elaborate?"

"My mind is the sharpest tool in my arsenal. All of those muscles and weapons skills won't matter if you don't have the intelligence required to outwit your opponents."

"How do you feel about your opponents?" Caesar asks. "How confident are you that you'll win against them?"

"The statistics speak for themselves. District One has produced the second greatest number of victors. I say that the odds are very much in my favor."

Camdyn sweeps onto the stage in a black flowing dress with blue and silver accents and a crown with two wings on either side. "You seem very prepared," Caesar comments.

"I am," Camdyn replies. "I've been preparing for this moment my entire life. I am incredibly honored to be here and to fight for Panem."

"How do you feel about your allies?"

I can see the subtle change on Camdyn's face. "Well, they're decent fighters," she replies carefully. "These Games…they should be interesting."

Bran snorts. "How to air your dirty laundry without airing your dirty laundry."

When it's Nero's turn, I brace myself for an angry brute. I still wonder about him. When I asked Rycin about Nero, I found out that he had a relative in the Sixty-First Hunger Games. She died in third place, so Nero was definitely interviewed. Still, I can't shake the feeling that there's more to it.

Caesar asks the usual Career questions. When he's asked why he volunteered, he casually says that he wants to kill "those sniveling outlier cowards and make them pay." Nero looks angry, but I catch a hint of sadness in his voice. Make them pay… Did he also lose loved ones to the Games?

When pressed further, Nero confirms my worst suspicions. "My aunt died in Sixty-One to that sneak from Three. My stepbrother… He was killed in the Sixty-Fourth Games. He didn't even last a week."

Crap!

The realization hits me hard. It's like the breath is knocked from my lungs. My blood runs cold and I have to fight to keep the realization and horror off my face. The boy from Two in the Sixty-Fourth Hunger Games was named Marshall Sinead. On the sixth day of the Games, he found Sunny and attacked her.

Sunny managed to knock Marshall off of a cliff. He was her first kill.

Nero finishes his interview with this killer line. "That's why I despise outliers. They don't deserve a chance in the Games or even in Panem. I always believed in survival of the fittest, and no one from an outlying district is fit, in my opinion."

Drake must notice my clenched fists. "Are you alright, Ames?" he asks.

I nod. "I'll be fine. We'll just have to be extra careful."

Emily comes across as sly and mysterious. She was apparently a chemist back in District Three and was hoping to become a doctor. Xander plays up a tough yet humorous nature and is by no means shy about his trips to the illegal fighting rings in Three.

Brooke takes the stage with a smug smile on her face. "I hear you can throw a trident like nobody's business," Caesar points out. "Are you the next Finnick Odair?"

"Of course, I am," Brooke replies. "Except this time, no one will underestimate me. It'll make things more fun."

"Do you have any advice for the competition?"

Brooke just shrugs. "Hold very still. It'll hurt less if you're still."

Dashiell immediately draws attention with his interview outfit, which consists of an open-buttoned shirt, tan slacks, and messy hair. He's extremely charismatic and makes the crowd laugh many times. "I have pretty big shoes to fill," he says when asked about Finnick. "I don't see why Four can't have a victor two years in a row. Eight did it first. One did it a few years ago. It's Four's turn now. Then I guess Two can have its shot."

Five, Six, Seven, and Eight all fly by quickly. The twins are clearly terrified. Wendy tears up at the prospect of losing her brother. Urban resolves to protect his sister, but his voice is so shaky. "Those poor kids," Jenny breathes.

Lincoln, who apparently goes by Link, talks about his number of sports trophies. Giemci continues her shy angle but implies that she may have a hidden talent.

Decida acts incredibly tough and cocky. Her flannel shirt, nice jeans, short red hair, and sharp green eyes somehow make that angle work. Cedar's face is stone cold, and he answers in short, one-word answers. He has the strong and silent angle perfected.

Chanel's interview is relatively forgettable, even though Caesar tries to play her up as a strong survivor, coming to the Capitol with a terrible illness and doing her very best despite that. Krystian, on the other hand, is a survivor. He doesn't talk much about his skills, but he does warn the other tributes to watch their step.

It's my turn. I take a deep breath and step towards the stage, keeping a tight grip on the handle of my fiddle case. I can hear Caesar introducing me. "Up next, a legacy and a volunteer who has made waves here in the Capitol, let's give a big round of applause for Amber Reeves of District Nine!"

I step toward center stage and take my seat. "Welcome, Amber!" Caesar greets. "I understand you have something special planned for us?"

"I do," I reply coolly. I remember what I did in the chariot, remaining aloof and distant from the audience. I was worried that that would blow up in my face when I found allies, but Sylva reassured me that everyone else would be putting on their own acts, and my being warmer towards my allies could be interpreted as character development. Still, I need to stay relatively cool and play up this death motif I've been given, at least for the time being.

Caesar grins. "How exciting! Let's see it!"

I gently pull my fiddle from its case and raise it to my shoulder. When I raise the bow, the crowd seems to hold its breath.

When I start playing, I close my eyes and try to pretend I'm back in the pub. This song is slower, and more melancholic than something I'd play there, but it helps. It's an ancient song from long ago, something I had to piece together from notes and tattered music sheets. I focus on the music, willing for these few minutes to last as long as possible. This could very well be the last performance of my life and the performance of a lifetime at that. I put my heart, soul, and entire being into the fiddle and let the music flow.

All too soon, the performance comes to an end. I take a bow. I can barely hear the buzzer sound over the roaring of the crowd.

I just performed in front of the entire world. I never thought it would happen and it was everything I thought it would be and more. Even some of the other tributes are clapping. Drake, Jenny, and Bran are more excited about it than Bronze and Krystian, but it seems I've won some respect from my competitors.

I have to fight to keep the relieved grin off of my face. I did my part. All I have to do now is enjoy the rest of the night.

I do wonder what Bran is going to do as he takes my place on centerstage. I know he's planning on slipping under the radar again. My performance/interview probably made that easier. "So, what do you think of your time in the Capitol so far?" Caesar asks.

Bran shrugs. "Well, I'm not dead yet, so that's good."

The audience gets a laugh out of that, but other than that, he gives relatively generic answers with only the occasional wit. Bran's interview is successful, at least from his perspective. He's entirely forgettable to everyone. Everyone except me.

Jenny steps on stage next and is all smiles. The first thing she is asked is about her skills. "Well," Jenny begins, "I'm a healer back home. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty damn good at it too. I can keep myself and my allies alive for as long as possible, so don't count me out."

Drake is also smiling when he takes the stage. "My allies and I promised each other that one of us is going to win," he says. "We made it over pancakes the other night so it's as sacred as it can get."

"Bonding over pancakes?" Caesar asks. "That sounds like fun. I do have to ask, how were the pancakes?"

The crowd laughs. Drake just motions toward Sylva. "Made by the finest chef in the world." The camera finds Sylva, who just laughs and waves away the camera good-naturedly.

The rest of the night blows by after Drake departs the stage. Belladonna is very open about her past as a murderer. "I killed three people," she says darkly. "I know how to do it and I know how to make it hurt. In a way, being reaped was the best thing to happen to me."

"What makes you say that?" Caesar asks.

Belladonna smiles. "I don't have to worry about getting caught."

Harvey is incredibly nervous when he is on stage. It's all too clear that he's going to die. Everyone knows it. He knows it too. As for Bridgeteri, she's incredibly confident in both her alliance and survival skills.

The interviews end with Atticus, who doesn't say much but has the audience wondering about him. "You'll just have to wait and see," he says when Caesar asks him about his skills. "The time for speculation is over. This will be the fight of our lives, trust me when I say you'll know exactly what I'm capable of."

As Caesar closes the interviews and we're led back to our floors, all I can think of is the day ahead. I could be dead in less than twenty-four hours. Could be.

I don't plan on dying tomorrow though. I'm going to fight as hard as I can. Atticus is right about one thing. The time for speculation is over. It's time to show the world what we can do.


Look at me! Doing the one thing I'm banned from doing which is writing at one in the morning! (Don't worry, I edited this hard and also can't sleep so that's my excuse.) Also, fun fact: Did you know that a fiddle and a violin are technically the same instrument? The style of playing is apparently different (please correct me if I'm wrong here) but it is the same stringed instrument.

I kind of glossed over it, but I knew I needed to include Amber being coached by Luna in this chapter. Having allies helped Amber come out of her shell just a bit, this is still Amber we're talking about here. While she was fairly frustrated at the end of that coaching session, at least she wasn't ranting and raving and foaming at the mouth furious like Sunny was. Maybe that's why she was most improved?

Amber's new dress was meant to be just the same dress that Sunny and Summer wore, but instead in concert black, but recently I heard a song that inspired me to give her a Grim Reaper motif.

As for the interviews, I focused more on the Careers and Amber's allies to keep things short while keeping the other tributes' interview descriptions brief. I decided to give the current major players, including the Fours, (especially the Fours) a little more spotlight. Finally, Amber's "interview" which turned into her performing for the crowd.

For the record, if you're ever curious about where I am in my next chapter, I usually leave a status on my profile. You may even find the occasional self-deprecating comment about how I am constantly writing and rewriting lol.

We have one more chapter left, and then the Games will begin. Who is your favorite tribute so far? Who do you think will die in the bloodbath?